Microcontrollers

Catalog description

This course is an intermediate introduction to microprocessors and microcontrollers, intended to better prepare students to employ embedded systems in their Capstone projects and other designs in school and the workplace. It draws on previous coursework in digital logic circuits and computer programming. Emphasis in lectures will be on low-level programming in assembly language, digital circuits, and architecture for popular microprocessor families such as Intel and ARM. Emphasis in labs will be placed on use and interfacing of a comprehensive, modern microcontroller. Topics include an overview of architecture, computational and storage resources, interfacing capabilities, supported programming languages, and user interface options. Interfaces to be covered may include general-purpose serial and parallel input/output (I/O), Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C), Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), and Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitters (UARTs), as well as handling of analog inputs, analog outputs, and pulse-width modulated (PWM) outputs.